Inova Fairfax Medical Center Uses Qstream Mobile Platform to Improve Patient Safety
Qstream, maker of mobile software that helps expand healthcare professionals’ skills in just minutes a day, has announced that Inova Fairfax Medical Center (IFMC) in Virginia and its newly opened Advanced Surgical Technology and Education Center (ASTEC) are using Qstream’s mobile, game-based platform to drive improved patient safety and clinical knowledge among an interdisciplinary operating room (OR) … Continued
American Hospital Association Endorses Vestagen’s Vestex Protective Garments
The American Hospital Association (AHA) has awarded its exclusive endorsement to Vestex® Active Barrier protective healthcare apparel. The endorsement is based on an extensive due diligence process that assessed Vestex’s ability to protect healthcare workers and reduce the bacteria on clothing that contribute to the risk of healthcare-acquired infections (HAI’s) in patients and hospital staff.
2014 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award Recipients Announced
The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum (NQF) have announced the 2014 recipients of the annual John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards.
Strengthen Your Resolve: No Unlabeled Containers Anywhere, Ever!
Just when you think you’ve made significant headway with a persistent unsafe practice, an error creeps up, and disappointment sets in. The error serves to remind you just how vulnerable patients are to human error, and to expose the fact that strategies you may have thought were in place to prevent the error are either ineffective or not implemented in all areas of the organization.
National Patient Safety Foundation To Provide Oversight of Research Study on Pneumonia in Hospitalized Patients
The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), a central voice for patient safety since 1997, will provide oversight for a research study that is seeking a better understanding of non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP).
New Patient Safety Center at VA Pittsburgh Evaluates Medical Products for National Use
The Department of Veterans Affairs has established the new Center for Medical Product End-user Testing at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. This center, based at the healthcare system’s University Drive campus, is responsible for evaluating medical products before they are purchased and used to treat Veterans at VA medical facilities across the country.
Update Clinical Communication Strategy, Not Just the BYOD Policy
Step into most healthcare facilities and you will notice that while community physicians are openly using their smartphones, employed clinicians are carrying voice-only phones, multiple pagers, or wearable voice-activated two-way communication devices provided by their employers. Hospitals report that 67% of nurses use their personal smartphones for clinical communications, while 89% of hospitals say they do not allow nurses to use them during their work shift (Spyglass Consulting Group, 2014).
Call to Action on Transparency in Healthcare to Improve Patient Safety
Open communication and a free flow of information represent the “magic pill” needed to improve many of the issues in healthcare related to safety, according to a new report released today by the National Patient Safety Foundation’s Lucian Leape Institute.
ABMRS to Offer Professional Credential in Magnetic Resonance Safety
Experts in magnetic resonance safety have formed a new organization, the American Board of Magnetic Resonance Safety (ABMRS), to provide testing and certification for professionals working with magnetic resonance.
Is Incivility an Underlying Threat to Safety in Obstetrics?
Disruptive behavior? Perhaps these examples do not meet everyone’s threshold. However, few would deny that incivility characterizes these real anecdotal interactions, which occurred in labor and delivery. In 2007, a study of disruptive behavior in labor and delivery units on the West Coast of the United States found that 61% of nurse managers felt that disruptive behavior was currently occurring on their unit (Veltman, 2007).